Melania Trump Snubbed By Several Charities Because Of Donald, She Reveals

Melania Trump has been snubbed by at least one charity, possibly several, who do not want to be associated with the First Lady because of her own association with Donald Trump, the Express is reporting.

The revelation comes in an interview Mrs. Trump gave with ABC for the upcoming documentary Being Melania: The First Lady. When the interviewer asked Mrs. Trump what has been the most surprising thing she’s experienced since becoming First Lady in 2017, the Slovenian former model said that it was the lack of interest among some charities in working with her.

“It’s sad to see that organizations and foundations that I want to partner with choose not to because of the administration.”

And of course, the reason for those snubs is always the same: her marriage to Donald Trump.

“I feel they are choosing the politics over helping others.”

Mrs. Trump did not name which “organizations and foundations” subbed her, saying only “they know who they are.”

That’s not to say that there are no charities that have been willing to partner with Mrs. Trump. As the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported in January 2017, Mrs. Trump had, at the time, been working as a Goodwill Ambassador for the American Red Cross; an honorary chairwoman of the Boys’ Club of New York; and a chairwoman for the American Heart Association, among other honors. It remains unclear if Mrs. Trump continues to have a relationship with any or all of those charities.

It has been a tradition for the last century or so for First Ladies to advocate for causes apart from their husbands’ own policy agendas. Usually, those efforts are not entirely political, such as Lady Bird Johnson’s plan to beautify America’s highways or Laura Bush’s efforts at promoting children’s literacy. Others have had some political ramifications, such as Michelle Obama’s efforts on promoting healthy school lunches.

Day 10 of our #25daysofmelania is here!!!! Did you know our @FLOTUS Is a philanthropist.
She has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the American Red Cross and as a member of the Police Athletic League. Pretty cool First Lady we got here ?? pic.twitter.com/YHBdYTDTBo

— Kaya Jones (@KayaJones) December 10, 2018

Melania, for her part, has been somewhat less ambitious in promoting her personal causes as First Lady. That’s in part because, as she has claimed previously, she would prefer to focus on what she sees as her most important jobs: being a wife to Donald and a mother to their 12-year-old son, Barron.

However, she has spearheaded a cause of her own: through her “Be Best” campaign, Mrs. Trump has sought to teach kids about recognizing and preventing cyberbullying.

That she chose cyberbullying as her focus was met with derision by some, who pointed out that Melania’s own husband, Donald, has often used Twitter to belittle and harass his own political enemies. That’s not lost on Melania.

“I know I will be hit with criticism for speaking about cyberbullying, but it will not stop me from doing what is right.”